Poetry of the Three Kingdoms (Yang Jian)
The two Han Dynasties and four hundred years were divided into Wei Shu Wu.
Cao Cao was the first to live in Yi, and Liu Bei was in Chengdu.
Sun Quan was in Jinling, and Dingzu was drawing on each other.
Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Fa Zheng are all important strategists of Liu Bei's group and high-level core figures. When Liu Bei destroyed Liu Zhang and led Yizhou Mu, "Zhuge Liang was the head of the stock, and Fa Zheng was the mastermind (by this time Pang Tong had been killed in battle). When Ma Chao advised Peng Xi, he also said, "Qingdang and Kong Ming and Xiao Zhi are on the same foot." "We can see the important position of Zhuge Liang and Fa zheng. Among these three people, Zhuge Liang proposed to Liu Bei the "Longzhong Pair" and formulated a grand strategy that might revive the Han Dynasty according to the general trend of the world; Pang Tong analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of Jingzhou and Yizhou for Liu Bei, and urged Liu Bei to plan Yizhou, so what contribution did Fa Zheng have to Liu Bei? In addition to assisting Liu Bei in eliminating Liu Zhang, he also proposed the "Three Strategies of Hanzhong" to Liu Bei to help Liu Bei gain Hanzhong. The following xiaobian will talk about the "three strategies of Hanzhong".
The historical background of the "Three Strategies of Hanzhong"
Fa Zheng proposed the "Three Strategies of Hanzhong" in the twenty-second year of Jian'an, that is, in 217 AD. But the historical context actually involved is earlier. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, The Biography of Liu Ye and the Chronicle of Emperor Xuan of Jin, after Cao Cao took Hanzhong, did not heed the advice of Sima Yi and Liu Ye and continued to attack Liu Bei from the south, but chose to withdraw his army.
However, the ensuing "Battle of The Canal" proved that Cao Cao was not so decisive in giving up this opportunity to "gain LongWangShu".
However, Cao Cao did not choose to personally lead the troops, but handed them over to Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Gao, Xu Huang and others, and returned to Yicheng himself (some people think that the purpose of the "Battle of the Canal" was only to migrate the population of Padang and Brazil, but in fact Zhang Gao was already very deep, which was very dangerous for Liu Bei).
As a result, in the "Battle of Tangqu", Zhang Fei won a complete victory and thwarted Zhang Gao's attack. Zhang Gao and Xiahou Yuan could only retreat to Hanzhong. This place in Hanzhong was crucial to the Yizhou regime.
Cao Cao's retreat and the victory at the Battle of Tangqu gave Liu Bei's clique the opportunity to counterattack. The "Three Strategies of Hanzhong" was put forward under this circumstance.
The importance of Hanzhong to the Yizhou regime
How important was Hanzhong to the Yizhou regime? The editor first posted some of the evaluations of the importance of Hanzhong by the characters at that time.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ShuShu, And Biography of Huang Quan": "If you lose Hanzhong, then the three babas are not vibrant, and this is the arm of the shu." ”
This is what Cao Cao said when he had just taken Hanzhong and Zhang Lu fled to Bazhong, when Huang Quan persuaded Liu Bei to support Zhang Lu.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Liu Ye": "In the present han dynasty, the Shu people are terrified, and their momentum is self-inclined. ”
This was what Liu Ye said when Liu Ye persuaded Cao Cao to continue south after he took Hanzhong.
"Book of Jin and Emperor Xuan": "In the middle of the Present Ruoyao Weihan, Yizhou is shaken, and the army is coming, and it is bound to disintegrate." ”
This was what Sima Yi said when he advised Cao Cao.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Shushu, Yang Hong's Biography": "Hanzhong is the throat of Yizhou, the chance of survival, if there is no Hanzhong, there is no Shu, and the disaster of this family is also." ”
This was the "Battle of Hanzhong", When Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang to send troops, Zhuge Liang asked the Shu department to engage Yang Hong, Yang Hong's answer.
It can be seen that Hanzhong has the role of "gateway" and "throat" for Yizhou. So what role does Hanzhong play?
Offensive aspect
Hanzhong served as the "gateway" to Yizhou. Since it is a "portal", it must not only be prevented, but also go out. We all know that the weak Shu Han was able to block the powerful Cao Wei, which was inseparable from the rugged terrain of the Yizhou Mountain Road.
But the rough mountain roads also made it extremely difficult for the Yizhou regime to attack north. As a plain area between the Qinling Mountains and the Bashan Mountains, Hanzhong can be used as a forward base for the Northern Expedition.
And There are many directions of attack in Hanzhong,
The north can directly insert itself from the Chencang Ancient Road, the Chu Chuan Road, the Luo Luo Road, and the Meridian Road to the Guanzhong area; the west can attack the Longyou area from Wudu; the east can capture the "Three Eastern Counties" of Shangyong, Xincheng, and Fangling, and then assist the Southern County of Jingzhou to encircle Xiangyang together, truly connecting Yizhou and Jingzhou into one.
These three offensive lines were all embodied in the Northern Expedition of the Shu Han Dynasty. During Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, he used suspected soldiers to contain Guanzhong and actually took Longyou; Liu Bei took the "Eastern Three Counties" after taking Hanzhong as a help (of course, it did not help) Guan Yu's Northern Expedition to Xiangfan, and later Zhuge Liang's heir Jiang Huan also had a plan to retake the "Eastern Three Counties" and fulfill a weakened version of the "Longzhong Pair".
Defensive aspect
Hanzhong was not only a forward base for attack, but also had important defensive functions. Hanzhong could be used as a base for shu Han to attack Guanzhong and Longyou, and of course it could also be used as a base for Cao Wei to attack the Chengdu Plain.
From Hanzhong, there were two roads, one was the Golden Bull Road that led directly to the Sword Pavilion, and after the Sword Pavilion was a plain area, so in the "Battle of Wei and Shu", Jiang Wei's defense line was in the Sword Pavilion; the other was the Micang Road leading to Ba County.
Zhang Gaojin forced his head to cover his head and swing the stone, and took the Rice Cang Road. In fact, Mengtou and Dangshi were already very close to Chengdu, which proved that Cao Cao actually did not reject Sima Yi and Liu Ye's suggestions. Judging from the location on the map, Zhang Gao's intention was not to rule Chengdu in Yizhou, but to be the hub of waterway transportation - Ba County.
After the fall of Ba County, Cao Cao could attack Badong County to the east, cutting off the connection between Jingzhou and Yizhou, and then attack Jiange, FuXian and Mianzhu along the Golden Bull Road; attack Jiangyang and Qianwei along the river; and attack Deyang and Wucheng along the river to complete the siege of Chengdu. This was exactly the line that Liu Bei took when he destroyed Liu Zhang. Therefore, it is reasonable for the "political prisoner" Liao Li to say that Zhang Gao's attack at that time almost caused Liu Bei to lose Yizhou. After Liu Bei completed negotiations with Sun Quan on the division of Jingzhou, he also garrisoned Jiangzhou in Ba County, in order to prevent Zhang Fei's defeat.
"Minutes of Reading the History of Public Opinion": "The so-called two ways to enter shu, one is the Golden Bull Road, and the other is the Rice Cangguan Road. ”
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Shushu, Liao Li Biography": "After the death of Hanzhong, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Gao went deep into Yuba and lost several states. ”
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of the Ancestors": "The First Lord heard about it, and lianhe with Quan, divided into Jingzhou, Jiangxia, Changsha, Guiyang East, Nan County, Lingling, Wuling West Genus, and led the army back to Jiangzhou." ”
Therefore, if there is no Hanzhong, the pressure of defense will fall on the Golden Bull Road and the Rice Cang Road. Chengdu and Berkshire face serious threats (the so-called "three pakistans are not vibrant"). After the advent of Hanzhong, Hanzhong became an important barrier against the military threat in the Guanzhong region.
The content of the "Three Strategies of Hanzhong"
"Longzhong pair" is in Longzhong and knows the world's affairs, is a strategy that looks at the whole world but is very general; "Hanzhong Three Strategies" is relatively simple, it is around this place in Hanzhong, the pattern is smaller than "Longzhong pair", and the content is clearer than "Longzhong pair". In a word: after taking Hanzhong, Liu Bei Group had three strategies to choose from.
1. Overthrow the enemy and honor the royal family
Although there is no clear historical explanation, Fazheng's "superior strategy" is nothing more than Zhuge Liang's strategy of "longzhong confrontation.". From Hanzhong, cross the Qinling Mountains to attack Guanzhong, and then eastward to Attack Heluo; another way from Xiangyang (Xiangyang was not yet in Liu Bei's hands at the time) to assist the western front's army in capturing Luoyang, and possibly from Nanyang to Xuchang in the northeast. If Sun Quan joined forces to attack Huainan and Qingxu, Cao Cao's forces could only retreat to Hebei. In this way, the goal of "overthrowing the enemy and honoring the royal family" can be achieved.
Second, encroach on the Yong and Liang, and expand the territory
Fazheng's "middle strategy" is more conservative and feasible.
In fact, there is an irreconcilable contradiction in the "Longzhong Pair", that is, to unite with Sun Quan while holding Jingzhou. So Jingzhou was lost, and "Longzhong Pair" went bankrupt.
The Northern Expedition led by Zhuge Liang was a "middle strategy" that conformed to the Fazheng. Of course, this is also the best choice for the Northern Expedition after losing Jingzhou, relying only on the strength of Yizhou and One Prefecture. Although in the end Zhuge Liang did not complete the purpose of dividing Longyou and overlooking Guanzhong, there was considerable opportunity during the First Northern Expedition. It's a pity that history has no ifs.
Third, sticking to the key points is a lasting solution
As a barrier to Yizhou, Hanzhong has long adopted the strategy of "encircling all the troops to ward off foreign enemies". For example, the Golden Circle and the Xingshi Wall. In the seventh year of Jianxing, that is, in 229 AD, Zhuge Liang built the two cities of Han and Le, which became the second defense of Hanzhong.
The defensive function of Hanzhong was reflected in the "Battle of Xingshi" during Fei Yi's reign. Cao Shuang led tens of thousands of troops ("60,000 or 70,000 people" recorded in the "Biography of Cao Shuang", and "More than 100,000 People on Foot And Horseback" in the Biography of Wang Ping) attacked Hanzhong on the Luo Road, but was blocked by the first line of defense and finally defeated. Later, due to the lack of troops and Jiang Wei's desire to annihilate the enemy, the defense of Hanzhong was weakened partially, and Jiang Wei remained in Puzhong because of political struggles, giving Zhong Hui the opportunity to occupy Hanzhong and go deep into the Sword Pavilion.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Later Biography": "Liang Migrated To camp on the lower plains of the Nanshan Mountains and built the two cities of Han and Le. ”
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Jiang Wei": "In the beginning, the first lord stayed in Wei Yanzhen Hanzhong, and all the real soldiers surrounded themselves to defend against foreign enemies, and if the enemy came to attack, they could not enter." And the Battle of Xingshi, Wang Pinghan rejected Cao Shuang, and all inherited this system. ”
Afterword
In general, the purpose of the "Three Strategies of Hanzhong" proposed by Fa Zheng was to persuade Liu Bei to attack Hanzhong, and its core content was also the strategy that should be adopted according to the actual situation after taking Hanzhong. Later historical developments also confirmed the contents of the "Three Strategies of Hanzhong". It can be seen from this that Fazheng's understanding of the importance of Hanzhong and the development route of Liu Bei Group is very clear and thorough.
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Minutes of Reading History, Book of Jin